The Woman In Black, opened at the Athenaeum Theatre on 13 June, and it’s a spine tingling tale sure to leave audiences breathless.
Who is the woman in black?
It’s a question that has confounded Arthur Kipps since, as a young solicitor, he made his fateful journey to the far-away village of to wind down the estate of the reclusive Mrs Drablow, who had lived at isolated – some say haunted – Eel Marsh House.
As the story evolves, Kipps uncovers more about Mrs Drablow and the eerie past of Eel Marsh, and for every question resolved by Kipps, another mystery emerges, another inexplicable event disorients him.
Photo credit: Justin Nicholas
The new production of The Woman in Black, offers audiences a fantastic rendering of Susan Hill’s classic gothic horror.
John Waters (Play School, everything) plays the now retired Kipps, who wants to tell the defining story of his life which has cursed and confounded him in the years since. Daniel MacPherson (Neighbours) as the young actor hired by Kipps to help bring his story to life, shines in a role which gives him plenty of space to show his range.
The Woman in Black is the second-longest play performed continuously on the West End, which speaks to the perennial appeal of the tightly written and performed thriller.
Although the template for the play has long been set, this production benefits from the experience of director Robin Herford, who directed the play’s original London West End production in 1989.
Photo credit: Justin Nicholas
Using a lifetime of directorial wiles, a range of effects, misdirection and knowing winks to stagecraft, Herford turns the screws on the audience, extracting laughs, gasps and tension in equal measure, while giving Waters and MacPherson room to flourish. Both clearly relish the fun of playing a repertory of characters from Crythin Gifford.
This well-paced production is a masterclass in suspense. From the opening scene, the audience is drawn into Kipps’s terrifying experience.
Whether you’re a fan of ghost stories, thrillers or classic pot-boilers, you’re guaranteed an evening of entertainment with Kipps, the Actor and The Woman in Black.
– Simon Whatmore
The Woman in Black is playing the Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne, 13 June to 6 July. Tickets here.
Disclaimer: The Plus Ones were invited guests of IP Publicity
